A year draws to a close so that a new one can open another chapter in the journey of our lives. Rosh Hashanah marks the passage of time not only in a personal micro sense but also in a universal macro sense. Eras come and go, and with them trends and movements. We need to notice the passage of our own journeys of growth, and we should also note civilization’s journey and its evolution.
We are witnessing a strange awakening in the world: an awakening to spirituality, and to the need to be concerned with, and protective of, the environment; an awakening to the role of values, purpose and meaning; an increasing awareness of the role of religious belief. We are witnessing an era of new scientific and archeological discoveries that affirm the historic accuracy of the Bible, a work so long assumed to be more allegory than fact. It is more acceptable than ever to talk about matters of religion and the soul in open forum, in business and in government. There is an unprecedented quest for spiritual meaning. Businesses seek to do more than make profits, billionaires feel impelled to dedicate time and fortunes to charity.
What about the Jewish people, are we part of the movement to a heightened spiritual awareness? Yes we are, very much so. There are larger numbers of people learning in Torah institutions than there have been for centuries, Torah flourishes, the Daf Yomi is a vast international sociological phenomenon, web-based Torah reaches hundreds of thousands of people many of who were previously unable to access any Torah at all. The Art Scroll has made Torah and Tefillah universally accessible. Outreach programs around the world draw thousands of people back into the study and practice of Torah. Kabbalah is cool. Even Musar is according to the Jerusalem Report a flourishing craze: “Far from the hype of the kabbalah craze, American Jews across the religious spectrum and across the country are working at ethical and spiritual improvement through a religious discipline called ‘musar.’ And the interest, and dedication, are growing.”
Yet it is precisely when there is hype and craze that we need to remain vigilant not to lose the quiet, deep, essence of Torah’s authenticity. In addition to looking outward in celebration of the quantitative growth of Torah study, interest and observance, I like to take time during these days to look inward. How much have I grown in the depth of my understanding of Torah? Do the words of the Tefillah mean much the same to me this year as they did last year? When I study a piece of Torah that I have learnt before, is it the same or is it different? What do I notice about those differences? What do they reflect to me about my own journey?
Only a few days ago I began to re-learn the Mesilat Yesharim for the first time in several years. It is a work I know well. I was raised on it. Yet as I began to turn its pages I wondered in astonishment at how I could hardly recognize a single phrase. Yes, I remembered the words, I know much of it by heart. But the meaning is now so different to me: so much richer, so much deeper. The work has a quality and a tone to it that I never recall sensing before. Re-learning it is a greater thrill of discovery than was even the first time I learnt it as a very young boy.” Bechol yom yiheyu be’einecha kechadashim(each day the ideas of the Torah should be to you as if they are new).”
The same applies to our relationships. We should not measure our social success by the number of new names we have added to our Rolodexes, but rather by the extent to which we have invested in deepening the relationships that we already have. Is our relationship with our spouse the same as it always was, worse, better? In what ways? What about our children, our colleagues, our employees, our friends?
So as we observe the state of the nation and the world, see their progress and their struggle, we can and we should observe the state of our own being. Not only in terms of how much more we are doing, observing and learning, but also in terms of how much more deeply and sensitively we are living.
May the coming year be one of unbounded berachah for each of us and our families. May we grow not only in the extent of our Torah, Mitzvot and Ma’asim Tovim, but also in their depth.
